An hour from Geneva and overshadowed (in the best way) by Mont Blanc, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is a working Alpine town that gets far less attention than its flashy neighbour Chamonix. That's part of its appeal: real local life, sensible prices, and a ski domain big enough to keep anyone busy.

The skiing links into the Evasion Mont-Blanc area, which serves up 400km of pistes via 110 lifts, plus Les Houches Saint-Gervais with 55km of slopes and panoramic Mont Blanc views. Between the two you're looking at a 455km pass, around 1,000 snow cannons and runs for every level, from gentle greens to punchy reds. A free shuttle bus gets you from the town centre to the new cable car heading up to Le Bettex, where the ski school is based.

On the mountain, track down Le Boitet on the slopes: it's run by three-Michelin-star chef Emmanuel Renaut, who keeps things simple with local ingredients. His croûte aux fromage — chunky bread baked with local cheese, onions and wild mushrooms — is a serious dish for a serious appetite. If you're feeling flush, the five-star Armancette hotel has two restaurants, including a bistro serving wild boar pâté en croûte followed by Savoyard fondue.

But the town earns its keep off the slopes too. The late 17th-century Baroque church in the centre has nine stained-glass windows by Korean artist Kim En Joong, and sometimes hosts free recitals. There's street art to hunt down, including a 2018 mural called Die Cast and a painting commemorating François Durafour's remarkable 1921 feat of landing a plane on snow at 4,331 metres beside Mont Blanc. The free buses also run to Saint-Nicolas de Véroce, 7km away, whose early 18th-century church has a stunning blue-and-gold painted ceiling and carved wooden altarpieces.

Saint-Gervais has one genuinely unusual card to play: it's the only French ski resort with its own thermal spa, fed by 6,000-year-old sulphur-rich mountain water. A new lift, the Ascenseur des Thermes — the first wastewater-powered lift in France — carries you down to it from the village. Expect saunas, steam rooms, outdoor hot pools in the cold air and half-day packages that will sort out your post-ski legs. It also means the resort works well year-round, not just in winter.

History fans should ride the Mont-Blanc tramway from Le Fayet up to Bellevue at 1,800 metres. It's been running since 1909 and remains the highest rack-and-pinion railway in France, with the views to prove it. And for food beyond the mountain, Plan B in Le Fayet does a more modern menu — think cauliflower with smoked yoghurt and Reblochon-topped burgers.

Practically speaking, it's an easy place to organise: free parking, free local buses, and a train line that brings you from Paris in under five hours, with a new gondola right next to the station. For accommodation, the family-run Coeur des Neiges in the centre has been welcoming guests from a converted farm building for a century.

In short, this is a resort for people who want proper skiing and a proper town — one with delis, pottiers, Baroque art and thermal waters — rather than a purpose-built ski bubble.

Story source: The Good Life France